Desi and opera don’t naturally go hand in hand…but maybe that’s just because it’s never been tried before, until now? By now, we actually mean 10 years in the making. The late great legendary Ravi Shankar had been pondering the idea for sometime and the last project he worked on (from his hospital bed) was his opera Sukanya. Luckily for us, this bold original work has not been lost. Ravi’s opera Sukanya is being brought to life by The Royal Opera, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Curve Theatre in Leicester in May 2017. Directed by Suba Das and with choreography by Aakash Odedra Company it is set to be an impressive and unique piece of performance. We’ve had a sneak peek and we can tell you now, it sounds amazing; opera with an Indian twist is meant to be!

Speaking about his involvement, composer David Murphy said: ‘Bringing Ravi Shankar’s only opera to life has been an amazing journey. A journey that was begun over a decade ago during the thousands of hours Raviji and I spent working closely together and which gained an unstoppable momentum in the last months of his life, continuing even during his time in hospital. Ever the practical musician, before undergoing what was to be his final surgery, he outlined the roadmap he had in his mind to take the work to completion – a vision so clear and compelling that it feels as if he is closely supervising the entire creative team as we move towards the world premiere in May 2017.’

Ravi’s talented musician daughter Anoushka is also involved in the show. She added: ‘It thrills me that this final project of my father’s, about which he was so passionate, is finally coming to life. My father was, of course, the first Indian classical musician to work with Western classical musicians, the first to write concertos for orchestra, the first to bring the music of India to a global audience. Even in his final years, he was the first to think further, to want to push even more boundaries, and bring Indian classical music to the context of opera. David Murphy has been so dedicated and sincere bringing my father’s vision to completion. I’m very grateful to everyone involved.’

What will be the most talked about live event of next year get your tickets now, they will sell out and they especially make for great Christmas gifts for your parents!